Daley Says Lawmakers Anti-city

June 30, 1993|By Robert Davis. Rick Pearson contributed to this article.

While top legislators huddled Tuesday in hopes of adjourning the General Assembly, Mayor Richard Daley launched a broadside at "politicians in Springfield" for allegedly discriminating against Chicago.

Although he did not name specific politicians in his scripted attack, the mayor said: "They all know who I'm talking about-all those people."

And when asked after his speech if Gov. Jim Edgar was his intended target, Daley replied: "I hope he realizes Chicago is part and parcel of this great state."

In Springfield, Edgar defended his work on the state budget, which he said will help the city, and questioned the timing of Daley's criticism-just hours before the legislature's midnight Wednesday adjournment deadline.

"I'll leave his strategy up to him, but it's tough enough down here," Edgar said. "I wouldn't recommend to anyone that they say anything that's going to upset the people they're trying to get help from."

The relationship between the two politicians has long been prickly, and got worse last year when Edgar failed to deliver Republican votes for the mayor's Lake Calumet Airport.

But after Edgar expressed support for bringing riverboat gambling to the city, tensions eased somewhat. Daley's remarks Tuesday were his most pointed criticisms yet this year.

The mayor's speech, delivered to about 200 members of the South Side Planning Board, was prepared last week. But he stuck closely to the original script in criticizing the General Assembly, even though several city proposals are still alive and under negotiation in Springfield.

"Time and time again, politicians in Springfield have framed our interests against the interests of the rest of the state," Daley said. "They've taken one issue after another and told people all across the state: `If Chicago wants it, it must be bad for Illinois.'

"They have blocked our progress on so many fronts by isolating and separating Chicago, and in doing so, they hurt themselves because our loss is their loss," he said.

Daley specifically referred to his quest to have the legislature and Edgar give the city permission for five riverboat casinos, in conjunction with an international theme park. The project is in doubt for this session because Republicans have refused to consider it for now.

"When Alton, Joliet, Aurora and all the other cities wanted riverboats, I didn't ask, `Where's mine?' " Daley said. "I said, if it's good for those cities, it's fine with me.

"But when I ask for floating casinos for Chicago, all of a sudden, we need more time to study it," he said.

"We're only seeking fairness and the same treatment as the rest of the state. But greed has taken over, and everyone from Galena to Metropolis has their hand out saying, `Where's mine?' " Daley said.

Daley also sharply criticized "these Downstate politicians" who claim they love Chicago and say they love the city's athletic teams and cultural attractions.

"Yet, when it really matters-when money is on the line-they position Chicago as the enemy of the suburbs and Downstate. They say Chicago is the problem. That's where you'll find the crime, the homelessness and the unemployment. . . . All the social ills of urban society are in the city of Chicago," Daley said.

"They want people to believe that if Chicago fell into Lake Michigan tomorrow, all their problems would go away," he said.

Jim Williams, the mayor's press secretary who had alerted reporters beforehand that Daley was going to make an important speech on activities in Springfield, said later that the address was meant to send a message to all Downstate politicians.

"The mayor did not attack anyone in particular," he said. "The message was intended for the governor and every member of the General Assembly."

Although Daley did not mention Edgar specifically, he did single out former Gov. Jim Thompson as an example of how governments can work together.

He reminisced how he and the former Republican governor "stood shoulder to shoulder" to persuade Sears, Roebuck & Co. to stay in Illinois and settle in suburban Hoffman Estates, even though that meant jobs would be leaving Chicago.

But Edgar bristled at Daley's attack, especially since it came during a critical time in state budget negotiations, including talks over the city's share of a permanent state income-tax surcharge and the reimposition of city taxes needed to help the mayor's budget.

"Right now, the Chicago representatives and the speaker are asking for help from legislators from all over the state, including Downstate, for specific projects for Chicago," the governor said after meeting with House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) and other legislative leaders.

Though he acknowledged that riverboat gaming for Chicago was unlikely in the spring session, Edgar said Chicago "has been well-represented" in the General Assembly.

"The State of Illinois has given a lot of dollars to the city government of Chicago with no strings attached," Edgar said. "I don't think their needs go un-dealt with. It's brought up constantly and I think they do as well as any area of the state."